Didn't know if or when the 4x4 mobos might be out so I figured I'd ask. With AMD slashing prices and me having a X2 3800+, I might be tempted if I can OC to 2.4 Ghz with both dualies. Assuming of course that I could beat a good C2D with the 4x4 rig.
Is the AMD 4X4 system out yet?
- Thread starter perdomot
- Start date
AFAIK the amd setup is only going to work with socket F 1207 pin and specific FX cpu's designed to work with unregistered dims - so its gonna be server and workstation stuff with conventional ram - you wont be able to use 3800x2's at all in that configuration
so you will need to buy a very expensive mobo and two very expensive cpu's - and also some nice ram - and it still wont beat the intel quad cores - so for the moment its a totally hopeless case - maybe that mobo with a pair of K10's (aka barcelona) will make an interesting 8 core solution that will work fast - but for the moment it just isnt something thats going to be floating anyones boat cos even at FX levels of speed amd is far behind at clock for clock speeds
barcelona should sort that out if you want quad core - thats toward the end of this year only from amd - but that 4x4 situation with a pair of conventional cpus just is never going to happen so get that idea out of your head - and for the current moment its only restricted to specific socket F cpu's
as for the idea of beating any current intel topend setup even with amds current best and most expensive setups is pie in the sky - wait till the end of the year guys - maybe then your prayers for intel busting performance may be answered (i say may because we still dont know a helluva lot about real world performance of barcelona yet - and also we dont really know how intel will retalite even though we have a fair idea but still nothing specific that we can point to yet
so you will need to buy a very expensive mobo and two very expensive cpu's - and also some nice ram - and it still wont beat the intel quad cores - so for the moment its a totally hopeless case - maybe that mobo with a pair of K10's (aka barcelona) will make an interesting 8 core solution that will work fast - but for the moment it just isnt something thats going to be floating anyones boat cos even at FX levels of speed amd is far behind at clock for clock speeds
barcelona should sort that out if you want quad core - thats toward the end of this year only from amd - but that 4x4 situation with a pair of conventional cpus just is never going to happen so get that idea out of your head - and for the current moment its only restricted to specific socket F cpu's
as for the idea of beating any current intel topend setup even with amds current best and most expensive setups is pie in the sky - wait till the end of the year guys - maybe then your prayers for intel busting performance may be answered (i say may because we still dont know a helluva lot about real world performance of barcelona yet - and also we dont really know how intel will retalite even though we have a fair idea but still nothing specific that we can point to yet
Yellowbeard
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- Sep 9, 2003
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As Naughty has very eloquently stated, 4x4 is kinda pointless until AMD has their own native quads out. It's then a semi interesting, though ridiculously expensive and impractical, solution as it gives you the chance to have an 8 core system with overclocking options and 4-way SLI.
Intel quad is faster, but not cheaper. A 4X4 MB/CPU combo can be had for under $700. And that is a high-end motherboard. The cheapest intel quad would come in at $1000+ with decent MB. And the 4x4 board will be upgradeable with the Barcerlona quad cores to 8 cores, so it isnt as cut and dried as some of you make it out to be. A case can be made for 4x4.
As for Penryn, Everbody acts like it will be as big a jump as core 2. Unlikely. Core 2 is the exception to the rule at this point. Such architectural improvement are usually incremental. I expect that will continue to be the case most of the time and with Penryn.
As for Penryn, Everbody acts like it will be as big a jump as core 2. Unlikely. Core 2 is the exception to the rule at this point. Such architectural improvement are usually incremental. I expect that will continue to be the case most of the time and with Penryn.
Yellowbeard
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I have actually been paying the most attention to the 45nm die shrink, power consumption, temperatures, etc as opposed to a sheer performance jump. And, with the way Intel is going, there will be VERY competitive pricing when AMD gets their stuff to market.
And, I am no fan boy as I use both brands. However, Intel is clearly in the lead here and I don't expect Barcelona to change that.
I do. I just have a gut feeling AMD isnt blowing smoke with that chip. Im not sure if they will leapfrog intel like core did to amd, but i think it will be solidly back in the same league.
Die size however is definitly an area of intel lead for the forseeable future.
This is the only motherboard out there for 4x4 aka QuadFX: ASUS L1N64-SLI WS
And the only CPUs that run in this socket
If you have that kind of cash, get a decent motherboard, an Intel QX6700/Q6600 and a Vigor Monsoon II TEC cooler. Performance & E-penis++++ along with less heat and power consumption FTW.
And the only CPUs that run in this socket
If you have that kind of cash, get a decent motherboard, an Intel QX6700/Q6600 and a Vigor Monsoon II TEC cooler. Performance & E-penis++++ along with less heat and power consumption FTW.
$350 for the motherboard
$630 for a pair of FX-70s (2.6GHz)
Comes to $980. And IIRC, QX6700 @ stock compares to dual-FX74s (3GHz). If you are going to spend that much money, might as well spend $835 on the Q6600, $200 on a proven quad-core overclocking board (the EVGA 680i A1 revision apparently hits 450FSB with Quad cores) and a high-end cooler.
Edit: I know your figure of $700 is correct if you buy one CPU today and get the next one later. But the same case can be made for the Intel machines too. Buy an E6300 today. Sell it when quad cores hit the $500 mark (or whatever your ideal price is).
True, Intel's quad-core offering is currently more powerfull, efficient, and more MB options are there. But you also just described a roughly $1300 to $1500 motherboard, CPU, and aftermarket heat sink, combo. Its AMD counterpart comes in at under $700 and will be upgradable to eight cores in a few months and those eight cores should be comparable to core 2 in terms of quality and perhaps much better if reports leaking out are accurate. if you're interested in running eight cores in a few months or want a quad core set up and just don't want to spend $1200, this could be an appealing option.
Where are you getting this $980 figure for the FX 70/motherboard from? A single FX 70 package already includes two duel core CPUs. You don't have to buy two of them. You get both for about $320. The motherboard itself is a very expensive $350. But the whole motherboard/CPU combo comes in at under $700. Your $950 Intel Quad core combined with $200 motherboard and $150 heat sink places you exactly what I just said you would be in my last post, the $1300-$1500 price range. And it does not include upgradability to eight cores.
Obviously it's not for everybody, but it does have some things going for it. It is clearly the best price quad-core set up available at this time. And it's very possible that it will instantly become the most affordable and most powerful option available the moment Barcelona cores are released. Price now and extreme power later with tremendous flexibility in between has some appeal. It is unquestionably the most expandable platform I've ever seen. The potential there is enormous.
am i reading this right coz im just about to place my order with newegg are you sure that you get two cpu's in these packages? have you purchased this product? also do you get 2 cpu's with the fx-74 also? coz this will slash my system price and allow for a far greater video card configuration
No your reading it wrong, Newegg is selling FX-70 at 300USD a Piece, not 300USD for 2, 2 of them together would cost well over 600. I aslo don't know how your going to get 1300USD to 1500USD for a Q6600 + 975X combo. I would love to hear how you can justify spending a 150 USD on a heatsink, what on earth for?
No Newegg is selling them as 1 CPU packages only, not 2 per box. It would cost your over 600 USD to get 2 FX-70's.
Quad FX Retail Boxes contain 2 dual core CPUs. Pointed out right here on Anandtech, no less. (top of page, and again in the price list)
Newegg cannot repackage retail box items, so it is 2 cpu's.
Intel always has the advantage when it comes to manufacturing, but AMD does exceedingly well given its resources.
That information turned out to to be incorrect. The newegg listing is for one CPU. Look at the box, it's the same size as all the other socket F retail boxes. They wouldn't be able to
cram another heatsink in there.
That article was from November. By the time the procs were actually available in retail, everyone had realized what a bad deal they were so no sites bothered to follow up.
http://www.us.ncix.com/products/index.p...21225&vpn=ADAFX70DIBOX&manufacture=AMD
It works out to about ~300 USD, per FX-70 processor, and when purchased in pairs, you need about ~600USD or more to do it.
I have looked into this issue a little and while I have not found a definitive answer, it does appear that these are individual processors. They were supposed to be selling in pairs which does change the equation considerably. 4x4 does not have a price advantage if that's the case.
4x4 could still make a killing once Barcelona comes out. But at its current price point, it's a pretty hard sell right now, if in fact the processors are being sold individually.
4x4 could still make a killing once Barcelona comes out. But at its current price point, it's a pretty hard sell right now, if in fact the processors are being sold individually.
I wasn't reading anything wrong. Newegg doesn't specify. AMD however stated repeatedly that these were supposed to be sold in pairs. Still not exactly sure what the deal is there. But it does appear that they are being sold individually at least by some retailers.
As for the heat sink/Intel pricing question, a previous poster threw together a hypothetical core 2 combination which included a $200 motherboard, $950 Quad-core processor, and a Vigor Monsoon II heat sink, which happens to be a $150 unit. That's the $1300-$1500 window. His combination not mine.
The number I came up with was $1000 plus for an Intel Quad core with high-end motherboard, which is an accurate figure at least as of the original Post date. Last thing I want is somebody arguing with me months from now after price cuts!
Then you weren't really looking into things and making assumptions, your problem, you should verify things next time, many retailers have been selling them as Single units, but nevertheless, it remains an expensive options as 4 Cores still require you to have $600+.
Let's see the worse case scenario here:
$950 for the CPU, $200 for the motherboard, and $150 for the Thermal electric Cooler.
This combination is far superior though to the Quad FX system as it uses thermal electric cooling, not that it needs it anyway, as a Single QX6700 doesn't draw anywhere close to the power draw of 2 FX-70 processors. Since your system doesn't have such advanced cooling we need to normalize the comparison.
The Q6600 can be had for $835 USD, a 680I motherboard for $200, and since your not including good cooling for the FX processors, this system can run on a stock heatsink.
So your looking at comparing a $980 to $1035 system, expensive for what you get though on the AMD side, and things are going to go south quickly soon. Funny you should mention the price drops, because the comparision will strongly favor Intel after them and they are not "months" from now
Later this month on April 22nd the comparison will be so.
$530USD for the Q6600, so the price drops down to an overall $730, while you can by then get an FX-72 based system for $980 or so.
By the time Barcelona is released, it is extremely unlikely that it will become the most affordable solution, as your still stuck using the Athlon FX brand, which are expensive processors, and if Barcelona is superior to what Intel's got then they will be priced accordingly which is expensive. There will be nothing stopping AMD from charging $999US per processor or $2K per set of 2.
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